We offer flexible appointments, with our online services allowing advanced booking and on the day appointments alongside a range of alternative appointments to suit your busy lifestyle. Find out more...

E-Consultations

Telephone Consultations

If you would prefer not to come into the surgery for an appointment you can book to have a telephone consultation with a doctor or nurse. Please book this online.

Message my GP

70% of all consultations can be conducted safely online. Using Message my GP can help save you time and get help faster. Please note that to use this service you will need to be registered with our online services.

We want you to be actively involved in improving the care we provide. For example becoming a Patient Champion for Diabetes Care and sharing your experience with other patients. Find out more about this practice…

Causes of bowel cancer

It's not known exactly what causes bowel cancer, but there are a number of things that can increase your risk.

These include:

age – almost 9 in 10 cases of bowel cancer occur in people aged 60 or over

diet – a diet high in red or processed meats and low in fibre can increase your risk

weight – bowel cancer is more common in people who are overweight or obese

exercise – being inactive increases your risk of getting bowel cancer

alcohol and smoking – a high alcohol intake and smoking may increase your chances of getting bowel cancer

family history – having a close relative (mother or father, brother or sister) who developed bowel cancer under the age of 50 puts you at a greater lifetime risk of developing the condition; screening is offered to people in this situation, and you should discuss this with your GP

Some people also have an increased risk of bowel cancer because they have another condition, such as extensive ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease in the colon for more than 10 years.

Although there are some risks you can't change, such as your family history or your age, there are several ways you can lower your chances of developing the condition.

Bowel cancer screening

To detect cases of bowel cancer sooner, the NHS offers two types of bowel cancer screening to adults registered with a GP in England:

All men and women aged 60 to 74 are invited to carry out a faecal occult blood (FOB) test. Every two years, they're sent a home test kit, which is used to collect a stool sample. If you're 75 or over, you can ask for this test by calling the freephone helpline on 0800 707 60 60.

An additional one-off test called bowel scope screening is gradually being introduced in England. This is offered to men and women at the age of 55. It involves a doctor or nurse using a thin, flexible instrument to look inside the lower part of the bowel.

Taking part in bowel cancer screening reduces your chances of dying from bowel cancer. Removing any polyps found in bowel scope screening can prevent cancer.

However, all screening involves a balance of potential harms, as well as benefits. It's up to you to decide if you want to have it.

To help you decide, read our pages on bowel cancer screening, which explain what the two tests involve, what the different possible results mean, and the potential risks for you to weigh up.

biological treatments – a newer type of medication that increases the effectiveness of chemotherapy and prevents the cancer spreading

As with most types of cancer, the chance of a complete cure depends on how far it has advanced by the time it's diagnosed. If the cancer is confined to the bowel, surgery is usually able to completely remove it.

Keyhole or robotic surgery is being used more often, which allows surgery to be performed with less pain and a quicker recovery.